


James Could Totally Date A Slytherin

by ScilesMcCallinski



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: I honestly don't know what I was thinking when I wrote this, James is totally in love with snape, M/M, Might add more to it, Might not, after a very traumatic experience, for snape of course, snape's totally in love with James, they're both idiots, who knows - Freeform, who only just realise they love each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 19:04:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13173255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScilesMcCallinski/pseuds/ScilesMcCallinski
Summary: James Potter is in love with Severus Snape. And Severus Snape is in love with James Potter. This is literally just a fic about them telling each other they love them.





	James Could Totally Date A Slytherin

James was currently sitting in Defence Against the Dark Arts, bored out of his mind. This class was normally exciting and fascinating but today... It was the most boring day he had ever had.

"Right class, get in a line! Come on!"

James lifted his head to see everyone lining up in front of a rather old looking wardrobe. Standing up, James pushed past everyone else until he was behind Sirius. He looked to the front of the line and realised that Lucius Malfoy was the only person in front of them. 

Not wanting to be the only one who didn't know what to do, James whispered to Sirius. "Pads, what are we doing?" 

"Boggart."

James' face lit up. He'd never seen a boggart in person before but had always been curious about them. Finally, he was getting to see one.

Professor Merrythought tapped the wardrobe with her wand and grinned at Lucius. "On you go, Mr Malfoy!" 

Smirking confidently, Lucius stepped forward and stood in front of the wardrobe. For a second - Just one second - James thought he saw Lucius' smirk slip as he glanced at the floor worriedly. But it could have just been a trick of the light.

He held his wand up high as the wardrobe shook and rattled. A few seconds seemed to pass as nothing happened until suddenly, the doors burst open and out stepped... Bellatrix Lestrange?

The whole class was silent until somebody couldn't take it and began to laugh, causing the whole class to erupt in laughter. 

Embarrassed, Lucius muttered the words he was told to say before storming to the back of the classroom to his desk.

Rolling her eyes, Professor Merrythought whistled, silencing the whole class. "Mr Black! You're up!"

"Me?" Sirius' eyes widened and he gulped nervously. "Okay, sure..."

James placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder and grimaced. "Good luck, mate." 

He was nervous for his friend. He knew what Sirius' home life was like, he really didn't want to think about what his worst fear could be, especially since it was about to be exposed to the entire class.

Everyone was being as quiet as humanly possible, curious to find out what one of the infamous Marauders biggest fear was.

Raising his wand, Sirius took a deep, shaky breath and waited for the wardrobe to open.

Once again, it shook and rattled until the doors burst open and out came Sirius' worst fear. 

James stared at the faces sneering at his best friend. He didn't understand what was going on. Why was he watching as an exact replica of himself, Remus and Peter smirked and taunted Sirius?

The boggart versions of them began to talk but before anyone could make out what they were saying, Sirius had already said the spell. The ground beneath the boggart turned to ice and the replicas of his friends slipped and fell.

A few people laughed but most of them were just as shocked as James was. Why is Sirius afraid of his best friends? 

James was so lost in thought that he didn't hear Professor Merrythought calling his name until Sirius put his hand on his shoulder as he walked past and gave him a small smile.

"You alright, Mr Potter?" Professor Merrythought watched James for some sort of reaction but all he did was give a nod. "Okay, well, just step forward and think really hard about your worst fear."

James knew what his worst fear was but he would prefer it if the whole class  _didn't_  find out.

Sighing, James stepped forward and watched as his nightmares formed before his eyes. His friends, his parents, everyone he loved was there.

The boggart version of his father was the first to speak. "You're a disgrace to our name."

Then it was his mother. "I can't believe I gave birth to such a  _freak_."

And then it was Sirius. "Why are you talking to me? I don't want to be seen with a freak like ** _you_**."

Now Remus. "You're nothing but a pathetic, ga-"

"Riddikulus!" James had panicked. He couldn't let the boggart finish its sentence. He couldn't let them know.

The boggart version of his friends and family now had zips over their mouths that got stuck every time they tried to open them. 

It took James a few seconds to realise that he was still standing in front of the wardrobe, his heart thundering in his chest. He shook his head as he walked back to his desk, ignoring the fact that almost everyone in the classroom was watching him. He knew they wanted to know why he was so afraid of his best friends and his family, it was the exact same looks they had given Sirius. But the only thing he cared about right now was what his friends must be thinking. They would obviously want to know why they were his worst fear and he couldn't blame them, he thought the exact same thing when Sirius' boggart was revealed.

James sighed and rested his head in his hands. He just wanted this class to be over.

"Mr Snape, you next."

A few seconds passed and the whole class seemed to go quiet causing James to lift his head and look around in confusion. 

"You deserve this, you deserve all of this! It's your fault!"

James' eyes widened. He stared at the boggart, confused and astounded. He remembered hearing Professor Merrythought call on Snape but... Why was this man his worst fear?

Severus watched the "man" walk towards him. He knew it was only a boggart but it felt so real. He didn't want to relive this, not here. He broke down. His knees buckled making him fall to the ground, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Please... No! I can't do this... Please..."

"You're a no-good, traitor! You deserve all of this! Punishment!"

Severus couldn't bring himself to do anything. He knew everyone was watching him, probably laughing at him, but he didn't care. He just wanted the man to go away. 

He began to take off his belt, nobody could tear their eyes away from the scene in front of them. They didn't know what was going to happen next but they all had a feeling that they didn't want to.

Obviously, Severus couldn't feel any of the hits since it was just a boggart but every time the belt cracked against the ground, he flinched. He couldn't stop remembering all of the times that man had hit him with his belt.

James could feel anger boiling inside him. Why was nobody doing anything? He looked over at Professor Merrythought who was watching the scene unfold, horror clear upon her face. Realising that nobody was going to step forward and stop what was happening, James made a split-second decision.

The man raised the belt once more but was stopped, the belt hanging in mid-air.

James had stepped in front of Severus and watched as his fears once again formed before him, but this time, he was prepared. As soon as his father opened his mouth, he cast the spell, their mouths zipping shut once again.

Before he could think about what he was doing, James had turned around, crouched down next to Severus and helped him up.

Once he was sure Severus had a steady grip and was able to lean on him, James turned to face Professor Merrythought who was still staring at the boggart in horror. "Not to be rude, Professor, but... What the hell?"

That seemed to shake her from her daze. "Excuse me, Mr Potter?"

James stared at her in disbelief. "How could you just stand there and watch that? Am I the only one in here with some humanity?"

Professor Merrythought looked down guiltily. She knew she should have stepped in but she couldn't bring herself to do anything. "I'm sorry, Mr-"

"No. You can't just apologise and expect me to say it's okay. You're the adult here, it was your responsibility to stop that. You're the reason that boggart is here so you should have been the one to get rid of it as soon as you saw that it was causing someone pain." 

James felt a light tug on his arm. He turned to look at Severus who was still barely able to stand on his own. James wrapped his arm around Severus' waist as he realised he was swaying back and forth. He heard a couple of people snigger but they quickly shut up when he glared at them.

Again, he felt another light tug on his arm and he realised that Severus was whispering something to him. "What is it?"

Severus rolled his eyes but spoke a little louder. "Stop arguing with her, it's not her fault."

James hesitated for a second but shook his head. "No. It is."

Everyone was glancing between their professor, Severus and James. It wasn't unusual for James to argue with a professor but it _was_ unusual for him to stick up for Severus Snape. 

Professor Merrythought sighed and closed her eyes briefly. "Mr Potter, I know that you're angry but-" 

The bell rang, interrupting Professor Merrythought who took a deep breath and once again sighed.  Everyone except James, Severus and Professor Merrythought left the classroom. Sirius, Remus and Peter lingered reluctantly by the door but James nodded to them and sent them a shaky but reassuring smile. "I'll catch up with you, cover for me with Professor Slughorn, okay?" Sirius nodded and left with Remus and Peter to Potions. 

"Mr Potter, you need to go to c-"

"No." James looked Professor Merrythought in the eyes as he spoke to her. "What I need to do is stay here and make sure Snape's okay because apparently, you don't know how to do your job." 

Professor Merrythought looked furious but also ashamed. She opened her mouth to argue back but realised that it was pointless. This was James Potter after all. "Fine. But make sure you leave soon, I have another class in about five minutes." 

James glared at her but nodded. He glanced worriedly at Severus who had his eyes closed and was breathing shakily. "Come on." James led him over to the nearest desk so that he could sit down. Kneeling beside the chair, James looked up at Severus in concern, waiting for him to say something or show some sort of sign that he was okay. 

Severus put his head in his hands and continued to breathe shakily as he tried to control himself. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. By the end of the day, the whole of Hogwarts would probably know his worst fear which means... No. Severus couldn't bring himself to think about that right now.

James bit the inside of his cheek nervously. "Severus?"

It took a few seconds but, eventually, Severus moved his hands and looked at James, confusion and surprise evident on his face. "D-Did you just call me by my first name?" 

James' eyes widened as he realised what he had said. He turned slightly red as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously and chuckled. "Yeah, it just slipped out..."

Severus eyed James suspiciously. Why was he being so nice to him? James could have just left him to embarrass himself even more than he already had but instead he helped him and even defended him. Why?

Interrupting his thoughts, James began to speak. "I'm sorry."

Severus gaped at James in complete shock. "What?"

"I said... I'm sorry. That shouldn't have gone on as long as it did. Someone... I should have done something sooner."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Severus didn't know what to say. Why was James apologising to him? Especially since he was the only person in that room who helped him. It just didn't make sense.

"James, you have no reason to be sorry. You helped me, you defended me, which, by the way, I'm still trying to wrap my head around."

James chuckled lightly but suddenly stopped. "Hold on..."

Severus' eyes widened as he realised he had just called James by his first name as well. "Don't say it."

Grinning, James looked up and caught Severus' eyes. They suddenly noticed that they were just staring into each other's eyes while grinning. Both of them looked away quickly and coughed, trying to get rid of the now awkward atmosphere. 

"So... Are you okay?" James closed his eyes tightly and groaned inwardly. He knew that it was a stupid question but he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Well..." Severus paused and looked at James. He noticed the concern in his eyes as he waited for him to continue. "Yeah, I am now."

James closed his eyes and let out a breath of relief as he whispered something. 

Severus raised an eyebrow and smirked playfully. "What was that?"

"Nothing." James realised he had answered way too quickly to be believable. "I said, Thank Merlin."

Not sure how to feel, Severus smiled and watched as James covered his face with his hands. "Shouldn't I be thanking you, not Merlin?"

James looked up and tried to control his breathing when Severus smiled at him. He hadn't told anyone but he had actually had a crush on Severus for a while now so, when he smiled at James like that, he was trying very hard not to scream.

"Not that I mind or anything but... Could I ask why you're staring at me like that?" Severus smirked as he watched James' eyes widen and quickly look away. "Also, it would probably be a lot easier to talk to you if you were... You know, not on the floor."

Laughing, James stood up and sat on the desk instead. "Is this better?" 

Severus swallowed nervously as he tried to keep his eyes from wandering down. "Y-yeah, that's... That's better."

James eyed him suspiciously. "You alright there?"

Coughing, Severus nodded and stared at the desk.

"Somehow I don't believe you." James grinned as Severus turned red. "What's up?"

 Severus glanced at James before focusing his eyes back on the desk. "Well, you... The way you're sitting is..." 

James raised an eyebrow in confusion as he looked down. "What's wrong with the way I'm-... Oh."

It took him a second but James realised just how close he was sitting to Severus and considering he was on top of the desk he could imagine how uncomfortable it must be for him.

He quickly got off the desk and instead leaned against it. "Sorry about that."

Trying to hide his disappointment, Severus grinned. "Don't worry about it."

"You sure? Because you don't look okay."

Severus cursed himself under his breath. He really was terrible at hiding his feelings. But he couldn't let James know that he secretly had a crush on him. He would never live that down. 

James took his silence to mean that something was still bothering him. "Do you want to talk about... Well, whatever's on your mind?."

"No, no, don't worry about it, I'm fine." Severus kept his eyes on the desk because he knew that if he looked up he wouldn't be able to stop himself from kissing James.

"Just a little tip; if you want me to actually believe you, make what you say believable." James smiled as he saw Severus roll his eyes. "You seriously not going to tell me what's wrong?"

Groaning, Severus banged his head on the desk. How was he supposed to tell James Potter - the person that he was pretty sure hated him - that he's had a crush on him for a little over a year?

James' eyes widened and he flinched when Severus once again banged his head on the table. "You might not want to do that, just saying."

Severus lifted his head and looked James in the eyes. "You want to know what's wrong?"

"Yes?" James was more than a little concerned by this point. 

Taking a deep breath, Severus closed his eyes and spoke. "I like you. And I don't just mean that you'd be a good friend."

James didn't know what to say. He was completely speechless. Severus Snape... Liked him? 

"C-Could you repeat that? Just want to make sure I heard you right..."

"You heard what I said. I like you, okay? I have a crush on you, I have feelings for you. Can I make it any more obvious?" Severus sighed and rested his head in his hands. He knew what was coming. He knew that James was going to laugh at him. But he couldn't keep it to himself anymore.

James was practically glowing. He never thought that Severus would ever like him back. "You do?"

Severus didn't understand what James was finding so hard to believe. "Yes, I do. Go ahead, laugh at me, tell me how I'm a complete and utter idi-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as James placed his hand on the back of Severus' neck and leaned in, kissing him gently. 

As he pulled away, James realised what he had just done and turned red as he rubbed the back of his neck and grinned nervously. "Sorry, I've wanted to do that for a while."

Just as Severus was about to speak they heard a voice come from the back of the class. "Wanted to do what for a while, Mr Potter?"

Professor Merrythought walked into the class and the two boys realised that they hadn't even noticed her leave. She glanced at them and smiled before pretending to look stern. "You need to leave now, my class is about to begin and you two are already late for... Potions, I presume?"

They both nodded but showed no signs of moving. They had completely forgotten they were still in the classroom but after what had just happened, they didn't really want to go to Potions.

"Mr Snape, are you feeling better now?" Professor Merrythought tried not to smirk as she watched him turn red while James sent him a sly grin.

"Yes, thank you, Professor." 

"Right, well, get out of my class then." She smiled at the two of them and shook her head as they grabbed their things and walked out of the room. 

James turned to Severus once they were in the corridor and grinned. "So, off to Potions then?"

Severus smiled and nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

They weren't surprised that people gave them weird looks as they walked through the corridors together, in fact, it would have been surprising if they didn't.

As they entered the Potions classroom, everyone stared at the two of them, waiting for someone to say something.

James was the first to speak up. "Okay, I know you all missed us but you don't need to stare. We're late. Is that really surprising?" 

Some people groaned and complained that James was arrogant, some people laughed and the others just ignored James completely and turned back to face Slughorn. 

"Well, Mr Potter, since Mr Black explained you and Severus' situation, I won't give you detention. I will, however, require the two of you to stay after class." 

James groaned but grinned at Sirius who smirked back. Severus, on the other hand, was slightly annoyed. He wished Slughorn had given them detention. At least that way he would have been able to spend more time with James. Guess his happiness wasn't meant to last after all.

As Severus went to walk over to his seat, James grabbed his arm and stopped him, turning him back to face him. Severus knew that there were some people watching them but he didn't care, he was still too busy thinking about the fact that James had kissed him.

"Talk to you at lunch, okay?" James sent Severus a sly grin causing him to raise an eyebrow but blush all the same. Letting go of Severus' arm, James winked at him before walking over to his seat. Sirius raised his eyebrows at him but smiled when James grinned at him. 

Severus, still trying to wrap his head around what the hell was going on today, sat down in his seat and didn't listen to one word Slughorn said throughout the entire class. 


End file.
